In fact, with Gary Carter and Eddie Murray slated to be inducted July 27, all signs point to large crowds. Over the years, one of the main indicators for estimating attendance figures is where the player(s) played. The closer to Cooperstown the better.

Eddie Murray played the bulk of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, and had a key hit in the Orioles' last World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983. Although Murray did go on to play for a variety of teams after leaving the Orioles, including the New York Mets, he will always be an Oriole in the hearts of Baltimore fans.

True, Gary Carter played most of his 19-year career with the Montreal Expos, not exactly a rabid baseball town. But he did play five memorable seasons with the New York Mets and also played a key role in the Mets' last World Series victory in 1986.

As any Mets fan will remember, Carter came to bat with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 with the Mets trailing the Series 3 games to 2 and the game 5-3. Even the Mets' scoreboard was congratulating the Boston Red Sox as the 1986 World champions.

But Carter's single ignited a three-run rally which culminated in Mookie Wilson's ground ball that famously rolled through the legs of Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. The Mets went on to win the series in seven games, in what many say was the most exciting World Series in baseball history.

The Star editorial says only Mets fans of the late 1980's would be interested in coming to the induction.

But the fact is anyone who was a Met fan in the late 80's is probably still a Met fan today and probably has been their entire life, meaning any Mets fans anywhere would want to honor Carter. The late 80's was the golden time for the Mets. With youngsters Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, and veteran first baseman Keith Hernandez, it seemd the Mets had three or four future Hall of Famers.

But the fact is, probably only Carter will ever be immortalized in the Hall of Fame. We would expect a huge contingent of Mets fans to come to the Induction Ceremony, both to honor Carter and relive the last glory days of the franchise.

Hall spokesman Jeff Idelson expects big crowds as well.

"I think the election of Carter and Murray bodes well for Induction Weekend," Idelson said. "We traditionally draw very well from Baltimore, and Eddie Murray was the class of Baltimore in the 80's, and Gary Carter was maybe the most popular New York Met of the 1980's."